I. Name
The Designation ‘King of Terrors’ (mlk blhwt) occurs only once in the OT, in Job 18.14. Some commentators describe the term ‘King of Terrors’ as a metaphorical expression with some mythological background that was common in the ancient world; compare rex tremendus in Virgil, Georgics 4.469 (Fohrer 1988:304).
II. Identity
Attempts at identifying the ‘King of Terrors’ with ancient Near Eastern deities of the underworld remain doubtful. According to Irwin, Job 18.14 is an allusion to the rule of …